


upon a clear appreciation and understanding

by Code16



Series: as are what motives [1]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Backstory, Other, Self-Sacrifice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-24 02:39:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6138526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Code16/pseuds/Code16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"“What would you be willing to do to protect this country and its people?” the latest recruiter asks him. “Or to further their protection.”"</p>
            </blockquote>





	upon a clear appreciation and understanding

“What would you be willing to do to protect this country and its people?” the latest recruiter asks him. “Or to further their protection.”

John blinks. Usually these questions are more specific -  _ Could you kill a terrorist standing 2 feet from his young son?  _ Maybe she wants, they want him to be creative? Composition has never been his strong suit. 

“Anything.” The recruiter pauses for a moment. 

“You really mean that.” It’s not a question, more of an observation. 

“Yes.” He answers anyway.

”Would you give your life for it?” Now that’s going somewhat too far.

“I was recruited from the army,” he points out. She’d told him to desist with forms of address, to speak freely. Not everyone who says that means it, but apparently they’re playing honesty today.

“Which you did not join willingly. Answer the question.”

“Yes,” he says. Without hesitation. She pauses again.

“That’s not something you can take back, you know. When it happens.”

“I know.” He doesn’t add ‘obviously’. He’d thought he’d run into most forms of psych probing, by now. If this is a new one, he should probably be more careful. She starts stacking her papers into a pile.

“Your next interview will be tomorrow at noon. If you haven’t changed your mind by then.” It’s not a question again. He thinks it’s something about her that makes him keep answering. Part of psych probing, maybe.

“I won’t.”

 

She’s there when he comes for the interview, in the anteroom. Raises her eyebrows at him.

“Anything?” He feels the need to answer again, like a pull, like an opened vacuum. (Later it occurs to him he should have found that more strange than he did).

“Anything.” 

 

By the time he realizes he maybe shouldn’t have said that, it is, of course, entirely too late. 

**Author's Note:**

> The quote in italics in the second paragraph is from 3x10. The transcript I used is [here](http://transcripts.foreverdreaming.org/viewtopic.php?f=195&t=12104).
> 
> The title comes from a definition of informed consent found [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informed_consent). "An informed consent can be said to have been given based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications, and consequences of an action." (In case this needs saying, the exchange depicted in this story is neither informed nor consent).
> 
> [My tumblr for these kinds of things](http://findundergrounddragoutofwater.tumblr.com). I love fandom social things, and anyone who feels like they might want to message etc me for any reason is encouraged to totally do so.


End file.
